Phono preamp for new Klimax LP12

You're probably going to catch a lot of anti-Linn posts without much solid advice.  This Forum is definitely not the place for Linn fans, so be warned.  Normally I would never post on products I haven't heard, but if you're going that far down the Linn rabbit hole, I personally would go with the Urika and save myself another box and expensive set of cables. I would be surprised if anyone on this board owns a Urika or would admit to it.  Good luck.  I had an LP12 back in 2005 or so and I liked it a lot. 

The Klimax comes with a phono stage. I didn’t get it (the included one) because I already have a Audio Research Reference 3 phono stage. The contemporary LP12 is an outstanding turntable… beautiful, functional, musical and detailed. I traded my VPI for it. Good choice.

.

The Linn long ago was known to be difficult to set up and this stuck. When setup correctly they have always been great and have been upgraded many times over the years. Over the last couple years, some very significant improvements have been made, making it an outstanding and cost effective table. Certain brands cause some folks to start taking religious stand on equipment. I am alway sorry when religion gets in the way of reality.

Based on your listening preferences and rest of your system, I would go with Luxman EQ-500. It’s a no brainer! 

The latest model Klimax comes with the Urika 11, which is a digital based device. Having heard the Urika's ( both original and new), I would say that a great phono stage would be an easy upgrade over both versions. The Luxman EQ-500 is a very good phono stage, I would take it all day over either Urika. However, here's the thing, the Urika is designed for the table and allows for a 'system' approach. The Radikal is designed to power the Urika, and as such i think the overall cost is less if one opts for the Urika. ( No additional stand alone unit, no cabling etc.)

I asked myself this very same question when I upgraded to the Radikal D, do i want the Urika ( either version) or to go for a different phono stage? To my ears the answer was pretty obvious, but YMMV.

FWIW, I run a Whest phono stage (Sinature three) in my system using a Linn Klimax preamp & it sounds great. Haven't heard the "Urika", but have a lot of respect for Linn products.